


Me, You and the other You

by Elaya



Series: Alternate Endings - New Beginnings [2]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Episode: s04e10 And Some Dude Named Jeff, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25525639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elaya/pseuds/Elaya
Summary: Cassandra and Jenkins are exploring their new relationship a bit further, but suddenly Jenkins is acting strange. Cassandra is confused and hurt and tries to find out why.
Relationships: Cassandra Cillian/Jenkins | Galahad
Series: Alternate Endings - New Beginnings [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841416
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	Me, You and the other You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-upload. This episode wasn't really necessary to "fix", but I wanted to do it for the continuity of my series while I was on a Quest to at least somehow try to fix that dreadful finale. So I was just trying to explore some new parts to the blossoming relationship between our two protagonists.

Cassandra Cillian was walking through one of the corridors of the Library, heading to the annex to find a good book about alchemy, since her experiment to make a dragon bone healing salve wasn’t really going too well.  
She was absent-mindedly scratching her arm. It was still itching, even after the green, slimy substance that was her misbegotten concoction had been washed off completely. Jenkins would not be pleased to know that she hadn’t taken precautions by wearing one of his Lab coats, like he had offered her. The young Librarian had tried it on, but the sleeves were constantly falling over her hands and she couldn’t really roll them up, because that caused her arms to look like they belonged to the Marshmallow Man. On any other occasion, she would have enjoyed wearing a piece of his clothing, but today her ambition had gotten the better of her and she just wanted to finish what she had started. Alchemy wasn’t her strongest subject, that much she knew now, she was much better with abstract formulas. “C’mon Cass” she chided herself “it’s not that much different from baking cookies, you take the ingredients, mix them together and create something delicious, or, well, useful at least!”   
Suddenly, Cassandra’s arm was grabbed and she was pulled behind a pillar of the corridor. She shrieked in surprise and also out of fear the Library might have been invaded again, but when the first shock wore of, she found herself staring into the face of her Guardian, Eve Baird.  
Eve mustered the young Librarian sternly. “Ok, Red, talk to me, what’s going on between you and Jenkins?”  
“I – I, well, me? And Jenkins? What do you mean?” Cassandra was stuttering, she noticed that her voice sounded shrill and fake even in her own ears. So she pulled herself together, straightened her shoulders and declared in a firm tone “Eve, I have no idea what you are talking about!”  
Eve’s expression softened and she reminded herself that Cassandra was her co-worker, yes, but also her friend, not a soldier serving under her and that she wouldn’t get anywhere by barking orders and demands. “Cass, you see” she began “I know that something has changed in your relationship, I notice it in the way you two talk and act recently. You and Jenkins have always been kind of close and now you try to act like strangers, whenever I or one of the guys is in the room with you.”  
Cassandra had been terrified of this moment. Eve and the two young Librarians Ezekiel and Jacob were like family to her, still there was a big decision hanging over Eve’s head, one that had to be made soon and she didn’t want to distract her by telling her about the budding love between her, Cassandra Cilian and Jenkins, the caretaker of the Library. Alas, one did not lie to Eve Baird and so Cassandra told her how their romance had started while Eve herself had been on a mission with the boys.  
“Oh Cassandra, but that is good news!” Eve said after a pause “So why didn’t you tell me? You know we could have had a little girl-talk. Besides, you should never think that you can’t trust me with personal stuff”  
“In this case I guess it was less the personal stuff and more the work stuff, that had Jenkins and me worried to tell you” was Cassandra’s tentative reply. “I know you need to pick someone to tether to the Library with you soon and whoever does not get picked will probably have to go. So we didn’t want to influence your decision, maybe, by knowing we are together now. I assure you Jenkins and I have talked about our options should I not be the one to tether. We will find a way to be together and after all, he is mortal now, so he won’t be able to work for the Library for a very long time anyway. “  
Eve noticed the sadness in the young woman’s voice during the last sentence. A while ago she had found out about Cassandra’s feelings for the caretaker. It had been very surprising for her at first, because on the outside those two seemed to have nothing in common. However, after knowing the reclusive caretaker for several years now, Eve had to admit, that there was a certain old-fashioned charm to the ancient knight. Especially when he let his guard down and let his kind, warm personality shine through the crusty, defensive exterior he put up to protect himself. Betrayal and disappointment were feelings he was just all too familiar with. It hadn’t escaped Eve’s notice, that these granite walls were crumbling recently and it was mainly thanks to his affection towards Cassandra.  
So now the cat was out of the bag. After a tiny moment of jealousy over the fact that Cassandra and Jenkins might have the kind of relationship she and Flynn had failed to maintain, Eve was genuinely happy for these two people she liked so very much and regarded as her closest friends.  
“Cheer up, Red, things will work out right eventually.” Eve reassured Cassandra, who was still looking very insecure. “Let’s just keep it between us for now.”  
This helped a bit to lighten Cassandra’s mood. Jacob and Ezekiel had finally stopped fighting over who of them should become the only Librarian, so Cassandra feared new arguments over this subject, if they should find out that she was now in a relationship with Jenkins.  
Eve gave Cassandra a comforting hug before making her way to the annex.  
Cassandra remained standing in the hallway, unsure of her future. She should talk to Jenkins about this. He had to know they had been “busted”, although there wasn’t even much gossip to tell for now. They were kind of dating, but they weren’t together like that, not yet. It was Jenkins, who clearly wasn’t ready. These were confusing times for all of them, both in personal and in professional circumstances. Still Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder, if it would be any different without the gloomy fate of the tethering ceremony hanging over their heads. Clearly another severe reason for Jenkins to refuse starting anything too physical in their relationship, was his insecurity about being mortal. After all, he wasn’t a young man anymore. Cassandra didn’t mind, she loved him and wanted to prove it to him with more than words. She was just considering various options on how to coax her shy and reclusive knight out of his shell, as the clippings book alert went off. They had a new mission.

At the same time, her shy, reclusive knight was waking up in a bed, which would normally be much too small for him. He was slowly pulled out of sleep, noticing some strange changes about his surroundings and himself immediately. His feet were way too close to the rest of his body. Had he shrunk? He knew that happened to mortal elder people, but overnight and to this extent? Then he noticed the rest of the room – and it looked nothing like his suite in the annex. Something was very wrong here!  
As soon as he got up, an idea formed in his mind about what had happened. He was standing in front of a sturdy young man, way younger and smaller than him, who had a surprised expression on his face and was gawking at him. Only that this young man was a mirror image! He had somehow turned into this person, how and why, he did not know. He looked around, from some trophies and participation certificates, he learned that the guy who had stolen his body was named Jeff Peppers. But if Jenkins was here in Jeff’s room, this could only mean one thing: Jeff was in the Library at this very moment!  
“Oh no” Jenkins groaned, thinking of his tightly organized annex, his sanctuary, the place he always kept in perfect shape. He got all nauseous even thinking about having a stranger interfering with it. Not to mention all the magical artifacts within the main Library and experiments in his lab being exposed to an interloper! Suddenly another, even more terrifying thought manifested itself inside his mind. “Cassandra!” His love, his treasure, facing a man who looked exactly like him, but wasn’t him at all.  
“I can only pray your manners are immaculate, Jeff!” Jenkins thought in despair, although, how decent could a person be, who stole the body of someone else? His eyes darkened and narrowed to little slits as he looked at Jeff’s reflection in the mirror. “I hope you won’t do anything stupid” he ground out through gritted teeth “I hope it for your sake!”

After a long shower in her apartment, Cassandra returned back to the Library. She still could feel the tar sticking to her skin, despite having scrubbed herself three times now. What on earth had gotten into Jenkins to open the magic door right inside the tar pits? And how excited he had been when they had returned with the artifact, the Osiris Stone. He had actually asked to touch it, even though he had probably seen and touched more artifacts in his long life, than all of them together would ever see. She had to get to the bottom of this, especially since she started feeling guiltier by the second, now actively believing it to be her fault that he was so scatterbrained. Maybe she was pushing it too hard with their relationship, even though she really had held herself back, or so she thought.  
The annex was deserted, but Cassandra spotted a strange, antique looking book there she didn’t remember seeing before. So she decided to ask Jenkins about it and picked it up. Since she hadn’t found him in the annex, Cassandra entered the main Library and her jaw dropped. Jenkins was standing at the stairs, clad in chainmail armor, which looked utterly ridiculous, since he was still wearing his three-piece suit underneath. He was giddily shouting at Excalibur, while trying to fight him. Cal yipped in distress, the magical sword fought off the attacks easily and held itself back as to not severely injure the knight. Cassandra had never seen Jenkins fight before, but the tales of his prowess were well known and always made her all dewy-eyed and dreamy. Seeing him now was a farce and shocked the young Librarian, even though she didn’t know that much about sword fighting techniques. She still loved and admired him, that would never change, but if he had been the best swordsman in old Camelot, she definitely didn’t want to see the bad ones! After another terrible parry, Cal had disarmed Jenkins without much effort, the fight was over. Cal went back to his artifact spot, growling quietly.  
Jenkins came down the stairs towards Cassandra, untying the armor and letting it clatter to the floor. She tried to ask him about the book, but he interrupted her to take a sip from a huge jug full of wine, which he had conjured out of water earlier. Cassandra didn’t remember seeing him drink anything but his beloved tea, ever, so her eyebrow was already raised in suspicion. When she repeated her question about the book, he immediately took it from her and mumbled something incoherent about a department, where this book had been acquired from. Cassandra was getting more and more confused by the second. His whole bearing, his way to talk to her and the complete lack of their usual playful banter was bothering the young Librarian. Did he do this on purpose? Was it his way to let her know wanted to distance himself from her without actually vocalizing it? Yet in the very next second he asked her if she wanted to go out for margaritas later. She was even more dumbfounded when she heard him ask if they could “make some magic” later on. Certainly he hadn’t just suggested that?  
“Excuse me” was the only thing Cassandra managed to say, blinking rapidly in her discomfort. Was this his idea of taunting her? Was that what she sounded like to him, when had she tried to make him loosen up a bit in the past weeks, make him feel more at ease in their relationship and show him that she was ready for the next step.  
Jenkins nervously got up and made a hasty retreat, but Cassandra was fuming by now. “If that is how you want to play, Sir Knight, so be it! I’m not one to beg. I have managed without you before, just fine at that and I will do so from now on as well” she thought, but in reality she was deeply hurt by the way he had treated her. Cassandra had always felt safe in his presence, from the very first day she had met him and that feeling had only deepened the longer they knew each other. Even now that he had given up his immortality, she had still seen him as her brave and indomitable knight, her protector, the man she would always entrust with her life So what had happened that made her feel so irritable in his presence today?  
She looked up and saw Jacob walking in, receiving a hearty butt slap from Jenkins! Another deviation from the usually formal and dignified behavior of the caretaker. Cassandra tried not to let Jake see how distressed she was and asked matter-of-factly, if he had noticed something weird about Jenkins’ behavior as well. Jacob’s answer to that question didn’t calm her down at all, but made her even more nervous. When he mentioned how Jenkins had asked him if Baird was seeing someone, Cassandra nearly cracked. What other explanation could there be other than him mocking her, when he already pretended to look elsewhere for affection. Or maybe he wasn’t even pretending? She excused herself and tried not to run out of the Library. Cassandra opened the magic door to her apartment, rushed into her bedroom, threw herself on the bed and started crying.  
When she finally didn’t have any tears anymore and was just sniffling and hiccupping, Cassandra grabbed another tissue, blew her nose and then took her cellphone. Shortly after dialing the number, a female voice with a Spanish accent answered at the other end.  
“Estrella! So sorry to bother you, but I need advice!” Cassandra whined into the phone. Estrella heard the distress in her friend’s voice and urged Cassandra to tell her everything.  
Estrella and Cassandra had met shortly before Cassandra’s surgery and they had been dating for a short while afterwards. Even though the fascination and interest in the other had been mutual from the start, Estrella had soon noticed that Cassandra was often distracted and she suspected that Cassandra’s heart already belonged to someone else. It was then that Estrella had learned about Jenkins, his unrequited love to Charlene and Cassandra’s unrequited love for him. The vampire woman knew that fast attraction could be a wondrous thing, but love that had grown for years and had sprung out of friendship and shared interests, was a completely different thing and something that couldn’t be erased overnight. So the two women agreed to remain friends until Cassandra had sorted out her feelings, but in the end it had been Jenkins, who had apparently sorted out his after Charlene’s departure. Estrella wished them luck, she knew they would need it. She didn’t want to lose the friendship of the young Librarian, she also had to admit that the Vampire Sanctuary as well as the Library were two very complex worlds, with their own set of rules and combining them through an intimate relationship would bring along more complexities and issues.  
Now she was patiently listening to a crying Cassandra, who was beside herself over her partner acting not like himself at all. Being immortal, a vampire and much older than anyone in the Library, except Jenkins, Estrella immediately suspected that something was seriously wrong, but that it didn’t have anything to do with Cassandra, or Jenkins’ relationship to her. When Cassandra mentioned the book Jenkins had been so secretive about, Estrella saw her suspicions confirmed. She carefully hinted at the possibility that something had happened to Jenkins, that there were magical forces on the loose, which changed personalities. However, at Cassandra’s question if it could be possible that Jenkins had turned into a vampire or werewolf, Estrella rolled her eyes so hard, that she thought the Librarian would actually be able to hear the sound of it over the phone. Vampirism and lycanthropy, Estrella assured her friend, couldn’t be obtained by spells, potions or any other methods, which didn’t involve biting. A worried Cassandra instantly promised to check Jenkins for bite marks, Estrella rolled her eyes again.  
At hearing how uncomfortable Cassandra had felt in Jenkins’ presence for the first time since they had met, an idea struck the vampire woman. “What if he only looks like Jenkins on the outside, but is in reality another person?” she suggested.  
“Omigosh!” Cassandra shrieked “You mean something has infiltrated him on the inside and is just wearing his skin right now, like the creepy cockroach from ‘Men in Black’? Ewwww!”  
By now Estrella was contemplating a cinematic move herself, because right now she felt like taking her continuously rolling eyes out of her head and putting them next to her on the table so they could catch a break. Even though she was normally the smartest person Estrella had even known, an agitated, perplexed Cassandra certainly was a very exhausting Cassandra as well. “Please, mi Hermosa, do not think of the worst case scenario.” Estrella tried to soothe her. “Maybe whoever is looking like Jenkins now, is actually human and has a body too, which is presently occupied by Jenkins’ personality, or spirit, if you want to call it that. You know, like a body switch.”  
Slowly it dawned on Cassandra, Estrella was right. How else could he act so differently and also make her feel so uncomfortable, instead of safe and pleasant, like she usually felt in his presence? She had to get back to the Library, she had to warn the others. Oh, that imposter would so regret the day he decided to steal Jenkins’ body! Cassandra thanked Estrella and promised to inform her about the outcome of the “Caretaker Intervention”, then she called Ezekiel, who dialed up a door for her. As she arrived in the annex, she grabbed the first scroll she could find and went looking for ‘Jenkins’. On her way she informed the two other Librarians and Eve about her conclusion. All of them were almost as enraged as she was. Eve cast a knowing glance at Cassandra, she knew this was more personal for the young Librarian than for anyone else of them, she needed answers, so Eve held back and let the redhead lead the way.   
They found ‘Jenkins’ in the main Library, among the book stacks. Cassandra almost poked him with the scroll she held, urging him to translate the text on it. All of them could clearly see his discomfort at that, he was evasive, tried to pretend he was being needed in the annex. Soon everyone was cornering him to make him confess. “What did you do with Jenkins?” Cassandra shrieked in her anger. She barely restrained herself from saying ‘my Jenkins’.  
The imposter confessed his name was Jeff Peppers, a 28 year old computer salesman and he had indeed switched bodies with Jenkins, with the help of the obscure book Cassandra had been asking him about earlier. Eve demanded to see the book. They found it underneath one of the small end tables, green slime was oozing out of it and there were slimy patches on the floor, which appeared to be hoof prints, leading down the hallway. The Librarians and their Guardian where just about to explore the mysterious slime prints, when a huge shadow appeared right in front of them. As they looked up to see the face of the intruder, it let out a shattering growl. It was the last thing Cassandra saw and heard before losing consciousness, while being spun in some sort of spider silk cocoon.

Cassandra blinked against the light. It felt like she had just been woken up from a fever dream. She tried to look around and expected to be in her bed, instead she was standing in a corridor of the Library and her body looked like it had been wrapped in cotton candy. As her vision cleared she could see the familiar prone silhouette and the silver hair of the caretaker, but was it really him? He was wearing a padded gambeson and looked like he had just come from a battle.  
“Are you ok? Cassandra, please talk to me!” a worried Jenkins was urging her to speak to him as he was pulling the spider webs from her face and body. The spell would wear off on its own, but Jenkins simply couldn’t wait that long when it came to his beloved Cassandra.  
“I’m fine, I’m ok, I think” Cassandra responded weakly, her eyes still clouded from the hibernation spell, blinking against the light of the Library lamps. Slowly her view focused on the man in front of her. He was holding her carefully, his hand stroking her cheek the exact way he had done two years ago when they had tricked the devil on another mission and she had passed out from gas poisoning. Cassandra had seen the same worried expression on his face then. She also felt it again, his concern, his calm demeanor, his wisdom and gentle nature. Then there was his scent, of tea and herbs, mixed with the woody-spicy fragrance of his cologne and the man himself; warm, clean and wondrous. It was truly him, he was back in his body and back home. Cassandra took a deep breath. “Jenkins” she whispered, still a bit faint. The effect quickly faded and she wound her arms around him. His hand was still on her cheek, while he was holding her by the waist with the other to keep her steady.  
Within seconds their lips touched, they were kissing each other hungrily, greedily, pulling closer to one another. Cassandra delighted in his taste, she never wanted to let go of him. Having him back, all of him, filled her with so much joy and stimulated all her senses. She just flicked her curious little tongue against his lips, begging for access…  
“Hey, what ya think ya doing, man?” and angry voice shouted from the side and a bedraggled Jacob Stone peeled himself out of the webbing. “Don’t try anything stupid, or ya gonna get into real trouble!”  
Next to Jake stood Ezekiel who looked like he had been spooling wool, webs tangled all around his hands and fingers. He pointed one of those fingers accusingly at Jenkins “That’s right mate, you leave Cassandra alone, or he will punch you in the face” he snarled as he turned around pointing at Jacob.  
The two lovers had both jumped a step back at the sudden interruption and were now both staring at their coworkers threatening Jenkins. Cassandra was turning beet red and didn’t find any response in her head to save the situation. Jenkins raised an eyebrow at the two young men, who tried so hard to look menacing. It had been a long day and he had just defeated the prince of hell.  
“Mister Stone, Mister Jones, is there anything amiss?” he just asked calmly.  
Like Cassandra, Jacob and Ezekiel instantly recognized the soothing, deadpan speaking pattern of their caretaker.  
“Jenkins! Mate, is that really you?” Ezekiel asked anyway “It’s so good to have you back!”  
“Jenkins!!!” Jacob made his little celebratory gesture he always did when Jenkins arrived to save the day. “So sorry 'bout that, we thought you still aren’t you. I mean, you are still him.” He tried to explain. Then he just shook his head and gave the older man a friendly pat on the shoulder. “We’re glad you’re back, J man.” And without another word, he turned around and walked towards the annex.  
“Yeah mates, I think I’m gonna go to the annex too” a blushing Ezekiel announced “I have, you know, some librarianing to do” and he followed Jacob as quickly as he could.  
Jenkins and Cassandra stared after them until they were out of view, then looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was such a relief for Cassandra to see, how the two young men had just accepted her kissing Jenkins as soon as they had made sure that it indeed was him. No more secrets from now on.  
“Hey guys!” Eve had just emerged from between the stacks and was dragging a veil out of spider webs behind her without noticing. Cassandra ran after her and picked it up, she followed her to the annex carrying the veil like a bridesmaid. Jenkins shrugged and quickly caught up with the two women, just another day at the office.

That night, after everyone else had gone home, Cassandra and Jenkins still sat in the Library’s recreation room, talking about the events of the day before. They had settled on the comfortable sofa and had taken all the cushions they could find to lie down, cuddling against each other. Cassandra let Jenkins tell his story, only occasionally asking questions. She was happy to learn that Jeff’s friends had made a way better first impression on the caretaker, than Jeff had made on basically everyone in the Library. The young woman raised a brow when Jenkins used the word delightful, to describe them. She searched for traces of sarcasm in his voice or on his face, but couldn’t find any. However, it seemed as if Jenkins himself had grown to like even his body stealer in the end and he told her about Jeff’s bravery during the fight against Asmodeus. So Cassandra casually left out the part where Jeff had been hitting on her, once it was her turn to tell of the events in the Library while Jeff had been occupying Jenkins’ body.  
Cassandra woke up in the middle of the night, she and Jenkins had eventually fallen asleep on the couch while telling their stories. It had been a very memorable day. She looked at her sleeping knight while nestling against him with her full body length, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Her outbreak from earlier that day now felt like light-years away, their love appeared to have deepened by the events and she couldn’t remember if she had ever felt more peaceful in all her life. Cassandra’s fingers carefully traced the lines of his soft face, then picked up a strand of his silver hair. She smiled, playing with his full, silky hair was one of her favorite pastimes now. When she felt him stir, the young Librarian kissed the tip of his nose. “Wakey wakey”, she whispered tenderly. Jenkins, eyes still closed, smiled when he heard those familiar words, which had woken him once before, on the day they had kissed for the first time.  
“I cannot believe we actually fell asleep” he rumbled.  
“It was this kind of day” Cassandra said simply.   
“Imagine, Jeff and his friends invited me to visit and play their game with them, DnD.” Jenkins told her as he was sitting up. “I don’t know if I should go. After all, maybe they were just being polite and don’t actually want an old man sitting around with them, playing.”  
Cassandra didn’t know Jeff’s friends, but she was a bit surprised to hear the word “polite” being mentioned in connection to him. “I think you should go, from all what you told me about them, they genuinely seem to like you. Besides”, she said as she playfully slapped his arm “you have been thinking the same thing about me, old man, and look at us now!”  
“Hmm, that is true” he agreed and leaned in for a quick kiss.  
They got up and Jenkins opened a door to Cassandra’s apartment, so she could take a shower and change clothes before the others arrived in the annex. She also managed to get another hour of sleep before returning back to work, refreshed.   
Cassandra was glad for the extra nap time once she and the others started tidying up the Library and the annex, picking up artifacts, cleaning them and putting them back to their places. They had to do a complete inventory to see if anything was missing after “Hurricane Jeff” had used the Library and its artifacts as his playground. On the third day of the cleanup, Cassandra finally persuaded Jenkins to take Jeff and his friends up on their offer to join them for a game of DnD. She convinced him that she and the others would manage just fine without him for a while.  
“I will only be gone for an hour, two hours at most!” Jenkins had assured them when he leisurely strolled out of the annex, he had actually taken the station wagon instead of using the back door. He was wearing a gorgeous, tan, three-piece suit with a blue shirt and blue accessories. Suddenly Cassandra felt just a tiny bit envious that he wasn’t going out with her. Still, she knew he needed some time away from the Library and was genuinely glad he had found friends among the “common folk”, as Jacob described it. 

Jenkins had been gone for five hours when Cassandra and Jacob found themselves on the gallery, taking a break from sorting artifacts.  
“J’s been gone for quite a while now, Cassie” Jake said with a smirk “how strict are you on his curfew?”  
Cassandra smirked back and shrugged “He probably forgot about the time, which means he’s having fun and he sure does deserve it after the last few months.”  
“Yeah, that was pretty hard for all of us, you know” Jake said earnestly “him giving up his immortality and all.”  
Cassandra felt she would get all wound up and emotional if she started to think about this subject again, so she tried to address what had been on her mind ever since she and Jenkins had been discovered. None of the boys had mentioned the “kissing incident” among the stacks. They seemed to just quietly accept the fact that their ancient caretaker and the red haired young Librarian were a couple now. While Cassandra was happy and relieved about their silent support, she still felt the need to explain herself.  
“Jake, I’m sorry we, Jenkins and I didn’t tell you and Ezekiel about our relationship at first.” She waved her hands in the air to emphasize her point. “You know, with the tethering ceremony coming up and two of us Librarians probably leaving soon. I think we just didn’t want it to look like I’m calling dibs on the job by dating Jenkins. Eve knows about us, but you have nothing to worry, she is still undecided.”  
“No problem Cass” Jake assured her “that’s a personal thing between you and Jenkins.”  
But Cassandra still wasn’t convinced. “I know and it’s a good thing, I just don’t want to lose your trust again like at the beginning when I was tricked by the Serpent Brotherhood to basically sell you all out. I don’t want us to get back to square one.”  
Jacob wondered that she was bringing this issue back, after all, this had happened over four years ago and she had never given them any reason to mistrust her afterwards. “Think nothing of it, Cassie, that’s ancient history. We all like you, we trust you and we wish only the best for your future. Hey, if even Jenkins trusts you that much to, well, be with you, how could anyone else not?” There was a short pause, before he confessed “You know what, I’m actually really scared about becoming the only Librarian, if I should be chosen to tether with Baird, that is. I don’t know if I can do it alone. We’re a team, man, it’s not fair!”  
“You can always call us for help” Cassandra chimed in “I mean, that should be allowed, right?”   
They stood quietly on the gallery for a while, looking down at their beloved annex, their home.  
“C’mon, go check on Jenkins, I know you want to” Jacob broke the silence “I’ll get a door for ya”

Cassandra stumbled through the door of a garden shed in Jeff’s neighborhood. She instantly knew which house it was when she spotted Jenkins’ old fashioned station wagon in front of it. The gate was open, so she gingerly walked up the few steps to the entrance door and rang the bell.  
Jenkins had already told her about Jeff’s mother, who was a bit gruff on the outside first, but could be mellowed, for example with Werther’s Originals candy. Cassandra knew that Jenkins had already brought her a bag today. Indeed the woman who opened the door eyed her very suspiciously.  
“Hello, you must be Mrs. Peppers” Cassandra beamed at her “I work with Mister Jenkins.”  
Mrs. Peppers’ expression softened. The dapper older gentleman was a new friend of Jeff’s, something that was hard to believe. He had surprised her with a big bag of candy, her favorite even. “Oh yes, they are all still in the basement, you want to come in?”  
Cassandra nodded and stepped inside the house, she was about to make her way to the basement, when she noticed Jeff’s mother staring at a spot on her sweater. Cassandra looked down on herself and knew it was her cat pin, which had caught the woman’s attention. Jenkins had told her that Jeff’s mom owned a lot of cats – and he emphasized a lot by repeating it a few times, making a sour face each time.  
Smiling, Cassandra removed her pin and handed it to a flabbergasted Mrs. Peppers, “You can have it, I buy them in dozens online, please, and I know you like cats.”  
Now Jeff’s mother smiled back and cheerfully lead her to the stairs. Her son really had amazing friends, old and new ones, there was one reason to be proud of him.   
Carefully descending downstairs, the Librarian saw her dapper knight sitting among his new friends, all of them engaged in a heated argument over fire resistance rings and acid spewing dragons. She kept standing on the stairs for a while, listening, amused. When Jenkins looked up she gave him a playful wink. The caretaker’s eyes widened and he stood up so fast he nearly knocked over the table and one of the players with it. From Jenkins’ stories, this had to be Dennis.  
“Cassandra!” Jenkins managed to look at his watch “my God, I am so terribly sorry, I completely forgot the time and I have neglected all my work today!”  
Now Jeff and his friends stood up to greet the surprise visitor. Aurora was especially intrigued. Her DnD character was based on Cassandra after all and it was an honor to meet a real Librarian. The two young women instantly clicked and started chatting. Soon Cassandra entered Aurora’s number into her cellphone, while Aurora handed Cassandra a ring pop, which she put on her finger. “We totally need to go to the mall together!” Aurora stated excitedly.  
“Maybe you can join us in the game, too.” Schmidt suggested.  
“Hmm, we will see. Since the sorceress already has such a deserving player” Cassandra nodded towards Aurora “perhaps I could be the reincarnation of the cunning thief and make the tenth level orc pay for his crimes!”  
Everyone looked at her, astonished at how much she knew about their way of playing.  
Jenkins got up, stating the two of them really had to leave now. When they had said their goodbyes for the time being, the knight and his pretty companion walked up the stairs.  
“They really are delightful” Cassandra had to admit once she was leaning back into the seat of the station wagon. Before Jenkins could start the car she stretched her hand out to him. “Want a lick of my ring pop?” she offered with a cheeky grin.  
“Don’t tempt me, woman!” Jenkins growled as he took the hand to pull a surprised, giggling Cassandra closer to him and tasted the fruity candy on her sweet lips instead.

While their friends from the Library were driving back to Saint John’s Bridge, Jeff and his DnD group were still impressed by their new acquaintances. Especially Aurora was looking forward to more bonding time with Cassandra.  
“Why didn’t you ask for her number instead of giving her yours” Jeff moped. “I’m telling you guys, Sassy Cassie has the hots for me, I could see it in her eyes when I was in the Library, she’s totally into me. Jenkins says she’s seeing someone. I bet it’s Stoner, that lucky guy, but if she keeps on coming down here, she will not be able to resist my charm!”  
Aurora rubbed her temples. She had known Jeff since preschool and in reality he was a decent guy with a kind heart, but sometimes he was just dumb as bricks. “Please Jeff, stop flirting with Cassandra and especially don’t ask Jenkins about her!” she pleaded and cast a questioning look at the others “Didn’t any of you see what’s going on? Dennis? Not even you? You are married after all.” Aurora looked into the blank faces of the three men for a while, then she proudly proclaimed “Cassandra is dating Sir Jenkins!”

A week later everything was back to normal. All the artifacts were catalogued, polished and back in their spots, Jenkins had agreed to meet his new friends up to twice a week, but had also promised to keep an eye on the time and Cassandra Cillian was in the lab again, still wrestling with her healing salve.  
She couldn’t understand it, she had done everything mentioned in the grimoire, had measured the ingredients precisely, yet the potion was still slimy and of a poison green color. The smell was dreadful too!  
This time however, the red haired alchemy apprentice had put on one of Jenkins’ huge lab coats. The sleeves were fixated with two of her hair bands to keep them from falling over her hands. The coat was already splattered with green, foul smelling blotches. Cassandra sighed and stirred the bubbling mush once more, when she heard bottles clanking behind her. She turned around to see Jenkins rummaging around, who was also clad in a lab coat. He handed her two small bottles.  
“These recipes really need updating. They have gotten refined over the centuries, but since I made them so often, I know them by heart now” he explained “here you go, my love, raven wing powder, one pinch for texture and quicksand for velocity, two small spoons. Cassandra tried it out and instantly her potion became creamier and the color turned into a friendly, grassy green. Jenkins suggested to add some mint and lavender to improve the scent as well.  
Cassandra was very proud of her first home made healing balm. After observing the now quietly bubbling liquid for a while, she wrapped her arms around Jenkins’ neck to kiss him affectionately, when she noticed the package behind him on the table. It was covered in colorful paper and had a red ribbon stuck to it. Cassandra was intrigued.  
“Jenkins, what is that?” she asked curiously.  
“Just a little present for my hard working lab partner” the caretaker stated as he handed her the package.  
The young woman took the gift from him and opened it instantly. She let out a surprised shriek. The package contained a crisp, new lab coat in her own size, with an embroidered “C” on the breast pocket, a pair of safety goggles and a small, leather bound notebook. When she picked up the book and opened it, she recognized Jenkins’ neat handwriting, in which some magical recipes and formulas had been scribbled down on the first half of the pages, the rest of the notebook was blank.  
“I already added some of the most common and useful potions and salves”, he clarified “but there is still plenty of room to add your own creations or write down any unusual discoveries.”  
Cassandra was so moved by this gesture, she threw herself into his arms. This was another thing about Jenkins she loved so much, he didn’t only appreciate her looks, but also supported her as a scientist. They shared a passion for science and magic, sometimes they could work in the lab for hours, without even talking much, but they loved to be together, enjoyed to share their findings. So often their relationship didn’t need many words. Cassandra was clinging to Jenkins, whispering “thank you” while he cuddled her close. She tipped her head up and was surprised when he captured her lips in a fervent kiss. Since there was far less danger now of them being caught, it was Jenkins, who gradually deepened the kiss, indulging himself in the sweet taste of his Librarian, his tongue gently and carefully asking for access. Cassandra granted it gladly and reveled in the feeling of their tongues touching, playing, exploring. She sighed into the kiss, bedazzled by his passion, anticipation welling up inside her as he tightened his grip on her body, pushing her back towards the lab table.  
She was just busying her fingers to unbutton his lab coat, when she noticed his arm releasing her, as his hand stretched out behind her to turn off the burner, with the purpose of keeping Cassandra’s potion from boiling over.  
Her eyes popped open and she poked his arm in disappointment.  
“I’m so sorry my love” he said while looking at her with his saddest puppy dog expression “but we just spent a week on cleaning up after Jeff, I really don’t feel like scrubbing the lab now too”  
The young woman threw her hands in the air. It was hopeless, but he was also right. Her look fell on the little notebook and she giggled when a thought struck her about how her first entry under “unusual discoveries” should read “do not snuggle with Jenkins in the lab, he is too distracted by the prospect of cleaning”.  
She turned around and saucily smacked his butt, eliciting a plaintive squawk from the surprised man, before plucking her new lab coat triumphantly out of the wrapping paper to try it on.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
